Crown Vics out of production, but 'beefy sedan' still loved by cops

The Crown Victoria no longer reigns in the future of the Ford Motor Company, but for many a local cop, the big beefy Victoria is still queen.

By Lyda Longalyda.longa@news-jrnl.com

DAYTONA BEACH — The Crown Victoria no longer reigns in the future of the Ford Motor Company, but for many a local cop, the big beefy Victoria is still queen.Many police agencies in both Volusia and Flagler counties still count on the four-door behemoths to carry their sworn personnel and their prisoners, and equipment from point A to point B in a 17-foot, 2-ton sedan synonymous with law enforcement.The last of the Crown Vics — as the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is fondly called — rolled off the assembly line in 2011 after consumers demanded cars that guzzled less gas. According to car magazine reports, the Crown Victoria, with its V8 engine, only gets about 24 miles per gallon on the highway.But that doesn't matter to law enforcement officers like Sgt. Keith Peck of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.A 20-year veteran of the agency, Peck has never driven anything other than a Crown Victoria. “I managed to finagle my way into this Crown Victoria,” Peck said. “The car is for extraditions, long trips. It's a rear-wheel drive and its wider and roomier. It's a 2010 and has just over 100,000 miles on it and it drives like a champ. “I'll drive it until they make me give it up,” said Peck, the patrol supervisor for the sheriff's southeast district. Peck said the Sheriff's Office started using Chevy Impalas, a car he says he would rather not drive. But he may not have to. Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said there are 139 Crown Vics left in Volusia's fleet.In South Daytona just over half of the fleet is made up of Crown Victorias, said Acting Police Chief Ron Wright. Out of 21 cars, 11 are Crown Vics. One of them belongs to Sgt. Mark Cheatham, and, like Peck, Cheatham is not a Chevy man.“I don't like that they're switching to Chevys,” Cheatham said. “I like mine (Crown Victoria). It's a 2006. It doesn't have the pickup that it used to, but it's still a workhorse. I'll drive it until they give me a new one or this one falls apart.”That sentiment is not unique, not only among local officers, but throughout the country where many police officers are bemoaning the end of an era.“I was sad to see it go,” said Holly Hill Police Chief Mark Barker, whose agency has 15 Crown Victorias left. “The car is a big, beefy sedan that hits all the high points of what you want in a police vehicle.”One of those high points is comfort, said Barker, for officers who must spend 12 to 15 hours of their days driving. The chief said it's not unusual to see a few Crown Vics with more than 150,000 miles on the odometer.“We press those cars into service 24 hours a day,” Barker said.According to a Ford website, the Crown Victoria first rolled onto the scene in 1932. At that time the car was simply called Victoria, in honor of the English queen and was a cross between a sedan and a two-door coupe. Soon, collectors began calling the car “Vicky.”In the 1950s the name was changed to Crown Victoria and the car was a flashy, two-door hardtop that was instantly recognizable because of a broad chrome band that “crowned” its roof, the website says.The “Crown Victoria” name wasn't used again until the 1980 model year, when it was chosen as the name for Ford's top-of-the-line, full-size, four-door sedan in the United States. In 1992, the Crown Victoria was substantially redesigned to reflect the new “aero” design trend of the time. It received an all-new body and a new engine that was both powerful and efficient, and its suspension was modified for even greater strength, the Ford web site says.It was obvious that the car — which seats six people — would soon become a favorite for families, taxi cab companies and, of course, police.The Flagler County Sheriff's Office has 99 they still use, said Lt. Bob Weber, and Ormond Beach's Police Department has 39, said Officer Keith Feder. Daytona Beach police have 85 Crown Victorias, said spokesman Jimmie Flynt. Unlike his gear-head colleagues, though, Daytona Beach Capt. Jim Newcomb does not believe anyone should have an emotional attachment to a vehicle — not even a Crown Victoria. “I mean, it's a good car,” Newcomb said regarding his 2008 unmarked Crown Vic. “It carries all your equipment and your prisoners.”

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